A new report from Homelessness Australia, released yesterday, highlights the urgent need to create new pathways out of homelessness.
The report examined the unmet demand for Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS), which has risen 63 per cent between 2016 and 2023 due to the deepening housing crisis.
Foyer Foundation co-CEO Liz Cameron-Smith said SHS providers are stretched to their limits and need investment in crisis services. With three in five young people accessing SHS services as a repeat user, new solutions to create pathways out of homelessness are also needed.
“We need to break this cycle of repeat service use and create a range of solutions that set young people up for thriving futures. The combination of supports currently available to young people are not funded sufficiently and prioritise immediate short-term needs,” Cameron-Smith said.
“Only 50 per cent of young people seeking short-term support receive it. More than two in three young people seeking medium and longer-term support have unmet needs. These young people deserve better.
“We know insecure housing is a huge part of this problem. Across Australia, there are more than 40,000 young Australians without a place to call home.”
Access to decent, secure and affordable housing is essential to creating pathways out of homelessness but young people need more than a roof over their heads. Youth Foyers are a shovel-ready, medium-term solution that provides a safe and stable home for young people aged 16-24 for up to two years, integrated with tailored coaching and support to complete education opportunities, navigate employment pathways, and build fundamental life skills that many of us take for granted.
The Foyer Foundation wants to build 10 new Youth Foyers across the country over the next three years, giving 3,500 young people the thriving future they deserve.
“These are young people with enormous skills, talents and capabilities that could be part of our future workforce as Australia faces a growing skills shortage across critical sectors. They need the right launchpad for this future, now. If we leave them behind today, we are also impacting our communities and economy for generations to come, locking in cycles of entirely avoidable disadvantage,” Cameron-Smith said.
“We’re in Canberra this week on behalf of communities across Australia seeking immediate investment from the federal government to create pathways to lifelong independence for young people experiencing homelessness.
“With a safe roof over their heads and one-on-one support from youth coaches to help them achieve their goals, young people who live in a Youth Foyer can unlock the futures they aspire towards.
“We have the plans, partners and providers ready to go, all we need is the investment.”
Download the media release here.
For media inquiries and interviews, please call Shona McPherson on 0410 293 844 or email [email protected]
